The Girl Next Door
by kitten4979
Summary: Danny kisses Mary behind the swings at the age of ten.


The sun shone brightly on that autumn day. The usually hot desert air was unseasonably cool – which is to say that it was only seventy two degrees that day instead of ninety five. Danny McCoy was standing by the see saws with his friends when trouble came to find him.

"I dare you," Greg chided him.

"Whatever, man," Danny retorted half heartedly.

"Okay, so I double dog dare you," Greg said, upping the ante.

"Greg, you guys are so lame," Danny retorted, still trying to act cool, though it suddenly felt like there were butterflies in his stomach.

"What's the matter, McCoy? Are you scared?" Greg sneered.

Unwilling to let his friends know the truth, Danny replied as calmly as he could, "Pssh. You wish, Greg."

"Then do it."

"Maybe I will," Danny said defiantly, raising his chin and crossing his arms.

"Then go do it already, McCoy," Greg replied, rolling his eyes.

"I am."

"You're not moving," Greg pointed out.

Danny gave his childhood friend one last glare before turning his back to the rest of their friends, searching for his subject. Frowning, he scanned the playground – seeking the one person he would be willing to do this with. He finally spotted her auburn hair by the swings with her own friends. Yes, that was the girl that Danny was going to kiss – sweet Mary Connell, the girl next door. Danny took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before leading his own posse across the playground.

What had he gotten himself into? Danny wondered as he began his trek. What a stupid bet. But he had to prove Greg wrong. Girls didn't have cooties… did they? There was only one way to find out for sure and Danny had inadvertently volunteered himself to get to the bottom of the rumor.

As he stalked past the tetherballs, he focused on just her – the easygoing, redhead laughing with her friends. She was – in Danny's opinion – the prettiest girl in school. What made her even more attractive was the fact that she would go out of her way to make someone comfortable. She was genuinely nice to everyone. It was no surprise that she was the most popular girl in their grade.

His anger at Greg began to soften and melt away the closer he got to her. Her presence had always had a calming effect on him – ever since they were in diapers, according to their mothers. Whenever Danny got upset or flustered, Mary was always there to pacify him – offering him her blanket when they were toddlers or just sitting next to him quietly the older they became. The loud chants and chiding from his own friends ebbed away from his consciousness as he thought more about their shared past.

Before he knew it, he was only inches away from her. He watched her hair, tied loosely with a white ribbon, flutter from the slight breeze. When he caught a whiff of her shampoo, he found himself wondering what kind she used. Suddenly feeling embarrassed and modest, he dropped his eyes to the ground in front of him – but not without noticing her tanned legs first. He took another deep breath before reaching to tap her shoulder. But one of her friends cleared their throat, announcing his presence. Mary turned to look at him.

"Hi, Danny," Mary greeted him with a large smile on her face.

Danny was dumbfounded for a moment as he gazed into her large brown eyes. Since when did he get nervous talking to her? He'd known her for as long as he could possibly remember. This was stupid, he thought as he shook his insecurities from his head.

"Uh… hi," Danny replied as he shifted his weight.

"How are you doing today?" she asked, still smiling at him.

He felt his heart swell. Seeing her smile at him made him feel like they were the only two people in the playground – and he wished at that moment that that was the truth. Unfortunately, he was brought back to reality with the hisses and boos from behind him. He quickly turned and glared at his friends, hoping to silence them.

"Shut up, guys," Danny commanded.

"What's with them?" she asked as she peered over his shoulder.

"Uh… nothing," Danny said quickly turning his attention back on her. He noted how cute she looked today in her jean shorts and navy hooded jacket over a plain white tank top with white Keds and no socks.

She furrowed her brows and looked at him quizzically. She knew him well enough to know that something was bothering him. But she decided not to push it – at least not right now. Danny nervously licked his lips. He was shocked that he never noticed how pretty she was until now. Her long red hair, large brown eyes…

"Are you sure?" she asked with a hint of concern in her voice, bringing him back to reality once again.

"Uh… yea. Yea. Just ignore them," Danny told her, slowly building his confidence and waving off his friends.

"Um… Okay, whatever," she shrugged. "So what's up, Danny?"

Danny now was discerned with the crowd now surrounding them. Both his friends and hers had encircled them, waiting expectantly for something to happen. Though it was known that the two of them were best friends, they never hung around each other during recess. Danny ran his hand through his short brown hair.

"I…" he fumbled.

Then, deciding it was best to just got for the gusto, he grabbed her arms and pulled her close to him. He kissed her on the lips before she could question or protest his action. As he pulled away, he scarcely heard their friends whooping and screeching. They slowly opened their eyes at the same time. He desperately searched her face for a reaction, but Mary was dumbfounded.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of recess, their friends grabbed their arms and led them in opposite directions. They continued to watch each other as the distance between them spread wider, neither one of them fully aware of the actions or events taking place around them.

This was the day Mary Connell fell in love with Danny McCoy who fell in love with Mary Connell.


End file.
